


Amnesia

by shnazy



Series: Sha ii go mou shen (The Next Adventure) [1]
Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: BAMF River, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Head Injury, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-13 07:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5700232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shnazy/pseuds/shnazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on a routine visit to Persephone for supplies, River wanders off the ship, gets into an accident, and loses her memory of her time with the Serenity crew.  She is mistakenly found by Badger.  Not knowing any better, she assumes that he is the one that rescued her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amnesia

**Teaser**

She’d woken to the flashes.

Memories…

Dreams…

Hallucinations…

She’s never been able to quite determine, but they were there in the back of her mind, flashing.

_Corpses._

_Vials._

_Needles._

_Men dressed in suites with blue latex gloves._

It was quicker than she could process and a sharp pain flashed through her brain like a spark. 

She cried out in pain, closing her eyes tight, and grabbing her head with one hand while fisting the sheets below her with the other.  She hadn’t even realized that she’d been asleep. 

With a small sigh, River struggled to stand from the bed.  She’d gotten a dizzying feeling from the pain of the flashes but knew that moving about seemed to help, despite the disorientation that came with it.

River made her way from the passenger dorms wearing a threadbare dress and no footwear, pausing when she reached the infirmary.  Leaning on the doorway, she watched Simon moving about within the small space; opening various drawers, taking note on his small reference cortex, and muttering to himself.

River couldn’t help but smile, typically his inner thoughts differed from what he projected outward but when he was in the infirmary he pushed everything away; thought only of the job at hand.  Whether it was patching up a member of the crew or just assessing his inventory.  This was her favorite time with him.  Just observing him as he honed his craft despite her intense fear of actually making her way into the room itself.

She pushed herself away from the doorframe and moved down the corridor and into the hull.  Despite the small headache in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but observe everything around her.  The cargo area was rather bleak looking without actual cargo.  She reached out with her mind to see if there was anyone on board the ship and found it to be devoid of life with the exception of herself and Simon. 

_They must have left to gather supplies while we are on the surface.._

River couldn’t help but feel slightly upset.  No one had asked if she wanted to go into town.  They could’ve easily woken her, in fact, she would have welcomed it, considering the flashes.  But instead they had left her behind with her brother to watch over her.

And then there was the whispers.  It was faint, like a child’s whimper but it called to her.  Her eyes darted about the room but was unable to find the source.  The voice wasn’t on the ship.  It wasn’t at peace. 

River took a deep breath and let her eyes listen, finding herself staring at the airlock doors as a source.  The voice was outside the ship, on the planet. 

River knew from experience that the voice would not dissipate until she found its source.  She didn’t think much on it as she made her way to the door separating her from the planet's surface and pulled it open with as much force as her small body could muster; pleased when she found that it was enough to open it.

She made her way down the ramp and past the dock, her feet suddenly hitting the hot sandy dirt of Persephone.  She smiled, curling her toes in the more sandy portions as she began her way from the docks and into town.

Something was calling to her and she was determined to figure out what it was.  Her foot landed on some pebbles and pain shot through her body.  It detracted attention from her headache and she was pleased.

A few patrons bustling about the area seem to notice the way her head darted about as though she’s a small cat eyeing a flying bug.  Her face seemed to hold no emotion as she eyed the various goods in the market along the streets as well as the shops surrounding. 

River couldn't help but take in the smells of the various foods, the mother admonishing her child, the large gunman setting about getting a lady into his bed.  She eyed everything quickly, trying to sort out the bombarding voices that were coming at her. 

A young man suddenly met her eye and she couldn't help but see what he was thinking.  It seemed to be all types of unseemly things involving herself, and she found herself incredibly uncomfortable.  She couldn't help but respond by giving him a distrusting look before moving her arm out defensively in front of her chest and backing away from him.

In her haste to back away from the man’s lustful eye she didn’t notice the driving cart moving quickly in her direction. 

Everything seems to happen suddenly after that.  “Bi rang (Get out of the way),” the man driving suddenly called out at her and she turnsed quickly, the bottom of her loose fitting dress twirling around her as she spins.

She doesn’t have time to move and is suddenly struck by the cart as it passes by, unconscious before she meets the ground.

* * *

“Gorram apples,” Dorian Blake muttered under his breath as he moved about the market, “I’ll show you some gorram apples.”  He had a large shotgun strapped to his back and identical pistols strapped to each hip.  The locals knew to move out of his way as he was one of Badger’s top men and was known for being in a killing mood more often than not.

Dorian passed a small stand serving some type of grilled meat over an open flame, its label simply stating “Fresh”.  He doubted even that was accurate.

He finally stopped outside a small market of fresh foods.  Something considered to be a bit of a luxury.  He spotted a middle class families slave moving about, collecting from a list in her hand.  Despite her shabby dress and sandals, she seemed to be quite attractive.  At least enough for a night.

He pulled back the curtain of the market with plans to approach her when he heard a shout from down the street a bit, “Bi rang!”  He watched the cart kick up dirt before continuing on down the road, someone laid out unconscious in the aftermath.  Turning away, he went in for the apples and the woman but came out five minutes later with only the fruit. 

He scowled and turned to head back to Badgers’ only then remembering the unconscious person and looked back to see her still there.  Sighing heavily, he turned back and moved toward them, noticing how people actively attempted to avoid acknowledging that there was someone there without stepping on them. 

He would have thought that someone would have come for them by now, either family or a slaver.  Reaching the body, he was surprised to discover that it was a young girl.  She was attractive too.

“Well,” he shrugged, setting the bushel on the ground as he lifted her up and tossed her over his shoulder, “Guess your new life ‘ll be with us then.”  He hefted the bushel under his arm as best he could and made his way back to Badgers’.   

* * *

 

“What’s this then?” Badger huffed in annoyance, eying his large bodyguard with suspicion, “Send you out for apples and you come back with a brawd?”

“Cart hit ‘er,” he replied with a shrug, dumping her body onto one of the longer tables against a wall, “Gave it time but nobody seemed interested.  Figur’ you can use her for somethin’.”

Badger sighed, a hand coming up to rub at his face with exhaustion and frustration.  “And you’re sure she was alone?”

“Seemed ta be.”  Badger rolled his eyes and sighed, giving her a quick glance.  She was scrawny and didn’t have much in the breast department but different men had different preferences.  It would be good to have her just as something different.  “Turn her over, let me see her face.”

Badger felt his jaw go lax and a miniscule gasp escape him as he recognized her.  The passenger on Reynold’s ship.  The girl from Dyton Colony.  She had a black and blue mark on her temple and it was beginning to swell.  She’d hit her head. 

Well, she was just a passenger on his ship.  Reynold’s didn’t have any claim to her.  He found her after all.  Perhaps she wouldn’t be so bad in one of the brothels.  Maybe she could even service him on occasion.  His lip quirked into a smirk at that thought.

As he gives her a long stare, he watches her eyes tighten and realizes that she’s awake.

She gives a groan and shifts, attempting to sit up while moving a hand to her injured head and wincing when it presses down on something tender.

“You all right, love?” Badger asked, putting a hand on her back to steady her as she turned and leaned against the wall, her legs hanging limply over the table’s edge.

“This is not the academy,” she replied flatly, her eyes moving about wildly as they assessed around her.

“Academy?”  He questions, meanwhile noticing that she doesn’t have that accent from before.  Had she been playing him before?  Was this even the same girl; he looked her over again…no definitely the same girl.  _Not many that look like that in these parts._

“Did you…” she begins before trailing off, looking about in confusion, “This isn’t home.”  Her voice rises as she asks, “Where’s Simon?”

“Who?” he asks back, his face crinkling.

She doesn’t answer though, instead her eyes seem to go a bit glassy and he finds himself slightly startled.

“They’re coming,” she calls out suddenly, her body tense, “They’re coming.”

“Who, Reynolds?” he asked her in confusion but gets no response, “Who, you feng le (crazy) bint?  Who is coming?”

“Two by two, hands of blue.”

“What in the gorram hell are you going on about?  There are no blue handed people coming for you.”

Suddenly she hopped off the table and stared at him, giving him the eerie feeling that she was staring into his soul. “You saved the girl from them.”  It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.  “You helped her escape from the needles.”

His eyebrows crinkle and he almost balks.  She isn’t making any sense.  He’s about to argue, ask about the blue handed people; something, before he deflates.  He has a business to run and he doesn’t have time to argue with a crazy person.

And to think that she had seemed so normal when he saw her on the ship.  

Either way, he doesn’t want to have this conversation anymore so instead he nods and answers, “Yes.”

Her eyes seem to light up as she smiles brightly and suddenly he’s surrounded by her as she hugs him tightly, thanking him repeatedly.


End file.
